Harrison Ford 'Saved Several Lives' by Avoiding Crashing Into Suburbs

Harrison Ford “saved several lives” by crashing on a golf course instead of a residential area, according to an eyewitness to his emergency crash landing Thursday.

“Looking at where he crashed and how the plane went down, I’m sure there was a moment where he said, ‘I’m not going to risk lives, whatever happens, happens. It’s going to be just me,” Eddie Aguglia, camera assistant, who was playing golf when Ford crashed, told NBC News.

Also Read: Harrison Ford Could Be Barred From Flying After Plane Crash, Experts Say

“He risked life and limb by putting it down on the golf course instead of trying to go further to try to get back to the airport,” Aguglia added. “Another 25 to 30 yards and … I don’t want to think about it. He saved several lives.”

Also Read: Harrison Ford Rescuer Describes Actor at Plane Crash Scene: ‘He Was Moaning and in Pain’ (Video)

Another eyewitness said Ford’s crashing on a golf course as opposed to residential area was likely no coincidence.

“When you have an engine failure as a pilot you are taught the number one priority is the safety of the people on the ground,” Charlie Thompson, a flight instructor who saw Ford take off from the airport, told NBC. “The golf course is the place where you could land the safest for the local community and making sure he didn’t endanger the people in the local area.”

Also Read: Harrison Ford Rescuer Describes Actor at Plane Crash Scene: ‘He Was Moaning and in Pain’ (Video)

Ford had just taken off from nearby Santa Monica Airport and requested a return before the aircraft crashed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The 72-year-old actor had been flying a World War II training plane, a Ryan Aeronautical model ST3KR, built in 1942.

In a call to air-traffic control workers prior to the crash, Ford reported that his plane had experienced “engine failure” and requested to make an “immediate return” to the airport.

21 of Harrison Ford's Career-Defining Movies (Photos)

1966: "Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round" (Bellhop) - Harrison Ford made his acting debut at age 24 in the crime film starring James Coburn.
Columbia
1973: "American Graffiti" (Bob Falfa) - Ford portrayed a loudmouthed drag racer in the George Lucas-written and -directed coming-of-age tale set in 1962.
Universal
1974: "The Conversation" (Martin Stett) - Francis Ford Coppola wrote, produced and directed the psychological thriller with Ford menacing Gene Hackman's surveillance expert.
Paramount
1977: "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" (Han Solo) - Ruggedly handsome Ford led a crew of misfits against the dark forces of Lucas' genre-redefining space opera.
Lucasfilm
1979: "Apocalypse Now" (Colonel Lucas) - Coppola produced and directed this Vietnam update of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" that starred Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen and Robert Duvall.
United Artists
1980: "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" (Han Solo) - Reprising the role a second time, Ford further charmed moviegoers, helping secure the franchise's venerated place in film history.
Lucasfilm
1981: "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (Indiana Jones) - Ford proved himself to be franchise gold with his starring role in the adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and executive produced by George Lucas.
Paramount
1982: "Blade Runner" (Rick Deckard) - He appeared as a bounty hunter in the dystopian sci--fi film directed by Ridley Scott. Ford is signed on to appear in the sequel and production is scheduled to begin next summer.
Warner Bros.
1983: "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi" (Han Solo) - In the third film of the popular series, Han contends with Jabba the Hutt and becomes a rebel general leading an attack on Endor.
Lucasfilm
1984: "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (Indiana Jones) - The second installment in the franchise and a prequel to "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was also directed by Spielberg.
Paramount
1985: "Witness" (John Book) - Ford's police detective falls in love with an Amish widow (Kelly McGillis) while protecting her son, who witnessed a murder.
Paramount
1988: "Working Girl" (Jack Trainer) - A mergers and acquisitions executive to Melanie Griffith's secretary with a head for business, Ford plunges head-first into the romantic-comedy genre.
Fox
1989: "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" (Indiana Jones) - Indy hunts for his father, a Holy Grail scholar (Sean Connery) kidnapped by Nazis. Hilarity ensues.
Paramount
1992: "Patriot Games" (Jack Ryan) - The first of two films portraying a retired CIA analyst dragged reluctantly back into the fray of international intrigue.
Paramount
1993: "The Fugitive" (Dr. Richard Kimble) - The film with the best critical reception of any movie with Ford in the lead, he portrayed a doctor wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and on the run from a dogged U.S. marshal (Tommy Lee Jones).
Warner Bros.
1994: "Clear and Present Danger" (Jack Ryan) - The second film based on Tom Clancy's novels that starred Ford, Ryan uncovers a covert war after being named Acting Deputy Director of the CIA.
Paramount
1997: "Air Force One" (President James Marshall) - The actor is one of the first to portray the U.S. president as an action hero.
Columbia
2000: "What Lies Beneath" (Norman Spencer) - Directed by Robert Zemeckis and costarring Michelle Pfeiffer, this is another Ford film that reinvented a genre: the psychological horror-thriller.
DreamWorks
2008: "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (Indiana Jones) - Though taking a few knocks from critics for its outlandish plot, the last in the Indy franchise was his highest-grossing film in its original theatrical run (behind "Star Wars" for lifetime take).
Paramount
2013: "42" (Branch Rickey) - He played Brooklyn Dodgers GM who changed the world of baseball in the 1940s with his recruitment and support of the first black Major League player, icon Jackie Robinson.
Warner Bros.
2014: "The Expendables 3" (Drummer) - Ford portrays a CIA officer and pilot who manages mercenary group the Expendables, who confront an arms dealer (and terrible ratings).
Lionsgate